Starpower!
by ChocoboHead
Summary: Upon achieving her dream and winning the traveling role of a lifetime at Loveless Theatre with Reno's help, Aerith discovers that maybe she really can't have her dream and her happiness too.  However, Zack thinks different. Was he wrong?
1. Chapter 1: The Seed is Planted

A street performer was a rare occurrence in Midgar—especially one that looked so much like a SOLDIER that was so well-known in the city. He had elected to start his performance in front of a very specific flower cart. "It's gotta be the white one!" He had demanded in a flawless Gongagan accent. Gongagans in Midgar were nearly always SOLDIER because they were all natural swordsmen, so the businesspeople coming from work and students coming from the academy crowded around to see what the young raven-haired man was going to do.

"20 gil!" He shouted, swinging a worn katana overhead to catch the attention of the already captivated pack. "And I'll do anything!" Then he chuckled, rubbing his hand through his black spikes, revising his statement. "Within reason."

"Do a trick!" A young schoolboy commanded, tossing his coins at the cocky brunette. The man obeyed, letting his body ease forward, over, and then onto his hands so he could walk on them…and then the street performer began a long string of hand-springs. "I could catch 10 gil in my teeth doing this too," the man kept walking around the circle on his palms, making the challenge. "Of course, if I don't, whoever threw it gets 20 back."

A man threw in his 10 gil…and the brunette flipped over without missing a beat, caught it between his teeth so the whole coin was visible and then he grinned at the large, overly-impressed group.

He'd been aware the whole time that the flower-cart girl was watching. "Zack?" She said softly, tilting her head. It wasn't his right to respond, and no…he knew that she realized that he really wasn't the 1st Class SOLDIER, Zack Fair. Zack didn't have that many piercings in his left ear, and he didn't wear that many belts or that much leather, plus his hair wasn't this short anymore…the man performing knew that the flower-cart girl would notice these things. But anyone else would really think he was the real thing trying to impress this girl…as the real SOLDIER often did.

"Woo her, dumbass!" A businessman shouted, tossing 40 Gil into the circle. The performer gladly thanked the man for the extra 20 gil and grabbed the chick from the cart.

"Why do you look like my boyfriend?" She asked when he had pulled her close into his shoulder. The man simply chuckled, brushing his lips against her ear. "What?" He scoffed, "I didn't convince you that I'm Zack?"

"Of course not." A truly blunt response. Then she added, "Zack's coming home from a mission this evening. And he was complaining about his loss of bet last time he called." She giggled into the stranger's ear as if something really amused her, "…and loss of hair. Couldn't possibly be you by how depressed he sounded!"

"Should have researched more…" He sighed, taking both of her hands and kissing them as if he really was her real boyfriend. The audience certainly believed. "Anyway, please go with this." He whispered urgently, "They'll be more entertained the more you act like I'm him…then give 'em a big finish." He winked, "I'll direct them right to the flower-cart after." He held his hand up in a Boy Scout salute. "I promise."

"Fine." She smiled, "we'll start now." Her smile stayed plastered on her face until it slowly fell into a sneer.

"_Fan service_?" she snapped, giving him a shove hard enough to make the performer stagger off guard. "Really? _Really!_ And you're trying to entertain others with _our_ affections?" She whimpered but there was something entirely playful in her eyes that knew the fight was only a game. "I thought they were _special…Our feelings are special." _Her voice cracked. And the flower-cart girl began to start the waterworks.

"B-baby, _please_…!" The man found himself begging—there was no seeing how the crowd of onlookers would take tears but one look and he knew—they were absolutely _eating it up. _Damn upper plate _Loveless_ fanatics… he tried to send a look her way that said, '_Keep it going.' _Apparently, she understood, because then she began to sniffle and cough out dry sobs.

"Y-you think you can _do_ that to me after how you've been treating me? Runnin' off into battle…leavin' me thinkin' that I was gonna have your little babies—"

The crowd gasped. And a surprised look crossed the usually prepared man's face. How the hell did she come up with _that? _"W-Why didn't you tell me that you thought you were pregnant…?" Then his voice got low so anyone listening would really have to strain. "Are you sure you want to talk about this now…?"

"Well, you want our private affairs public!" She sobbed, "So why not! You _left me_, Zack."

"I woulda stayed if you woulda told me…!" He yelled back, but then the performer got gentle. "Why didn't you tell me?" He asked, pulling her in as if she were a child herself.

"Because I love you…" it was nearly a whisper as she rubbed her palm in her eye, looking up at him while they were only inches apart. "Your dream is to be a hero…I _won't ever_ ruin that for you…"

"But I want to stay with you…being in SOLDIER doesn't make you a hero." Looked like there was going to be a moral to this too—ahh…something for everyone. The performer allowed himself to get a little teary-eyed himself as he brought his mouth close to hers, turning the girl so it would appear to be the _perfect_ stage-kiss. He kissed her somewhere near her ear actually, but it looked very real to the onlooker. "Who said you can't have your dreams and be happy too?"

"Oh…!" The girl looked at him with the eyes of a lover. Then they parted their hands together as if they never wanted to go—and they separated slowly, just until it was only their fingertips touching each other.

And their little play was over. And the street performer was stunned by warm applause.

It positively must have been his best work!

"Thank you!" With a quick bow, he allowed himself to bask in the ovation and smiled fully at the onlookers. "I appreciate your patronage! I'll be in sector 7 tomorrow, outside the train station if you want to see me, however, if you wish to see this pretty lovely again," he gestured to the flower-cart girl. "She will be selling lilies outside the theatre on Loveless Avenue in Sector 8!" He bowed again, "Thank y'all! Remember that I live off your small tips! Thank you, sir! Thank you, madam. Thanks. Thank you!" As they filled an outstretched hat, he grinned until every last bit of the audience had disappeared.

The performer had accepted the coins happily and the girl received her praise after the audience purchased her flowers. Most everyone had bought them to give them back to her. "Beautiful!" An old man cried, shoving the black-haired performer aside to get to the woman to hand her a small bouquet of her own flowers and his business card. "I want you in my theatre! Call this if you ever consider the idea madam!" Both she and the sly performer received a card just in case they proved to be partners…but the old man was only interested in the girl. The black-haired performer figured it was because the old man was a pedophile and it was best just to pocket the card for later reference…in case she ever needed a pedophile for something.

The flower-cart girl had sold every last lily and fern in the cart. Including the one white flower the performer had bought for her. She gently touched the milky petals and smiled at him. "Are you Gongagan too?" She asked, looking up. "What's your name?"

"Naw…" The performer laughed, spitting out a marble he had hidden under his tongue. "I'm from Junon. Marbles keep me speakin' like that guy. Great accent, huh?" The girl agreed, but still unbelieving. "Yo, this isn't my hair either. Can't believe it was _completely_ inaccurate…" His fingers went to his hairline and pulled the spiky wig free, his red-brown hair fluffing out like a startled porcupine. "I'm Reno. Who're you?"

"I'm Aerith. It's nice to meet you."

Reno nodded, drawing his hand over one of his cheeks to reveal the fact that he even had scarification under his eyes, right on the cheekbone…and it had also been revealed that he was wearing a severe amount of makeup to look like Zack. "Why did you do that?" She asked cautiously, "Dressing like Zack, I mean."

"He's got a famous face now that he's the General's second-in-command. I can make a bit of money off that, I think." The redhead grinned playfully. "Everyone likes to watch him _move_…" Reno shrugged. "It's been awhile since Midgar has had someone so _young_ to look up to…I mean, Zack's one of the youngest to get that high in class." Reno leaned against the cart, and winked. "Plus, I'm sure you know what he's known for!" The girl blushed. Zack always did get fangirls simply because he strutted around in _very_ well-fitting pants.

"By the way, I hope I didn't piss him off too much." The man sighed, shoving his hands in the pockets of his hand-made SOLDIER uniform. "If it helps, you can always tell him we theatre boys are almost always gay."

Aerith looked at him, curious. His powder-turquoise eyes suggested he was feeling guilty about something…but he held his body as if he were highly amused by something. "Why would Zack be mad?"

"Well…you play-flirted with a doppelganger of his while you thought he was away. And he's pissed because he actually thought you were prego for a second. But then he realized that he used protection last time or something…blah, blah, blah…" Reno laughed as if he knew something she didn't, and leaned back with a stretch. "For the most part, Zack's confused and pretty upset that—"The man shot into a fit of giggles, unable to finish and immediately, Aerith looked around looking for the source of the joke. "H-he's confused and upset because…"

"Why!" She demanded, pounding on the handles of her flower-cart.

Reno grinned as if he were an older brother and patted her head, being as serious as death now. "He's upset because he's been standing there for at least ten minutes and you haven't said 'hi' or recognized him yet."

Immediately, Aerith's heart dropped into her stomach and she twisted around, looking for her _real_ boyfriend. She looked for the spray of black spikes, scanning the street for that as it was Zack's most popular trait. When she found not a visible piece of evidence, she began to look for the Buster Sword…when she couldn't find that—

"For the love of Shiva, I'm against the light post…"

At the sound of the voice, the woman's head whipped around, her braid catching Reno in the face, and found a man in camouflage cargo pants, a black t-shirt, and a military cap, not at the closest lamppost but the one next to that. His foot was set up against the body of it so he could lean against it casually, his arms crossed. The cap was pulled down low across his brow so that his hair was covered—but there was a very distinct, bluish glow coming from beneath it, reflecting against a slightly raised cross-shaped scar. That glow was familiar enough—plenty of evidence to show that it was definitely…

"Zacky! You're home early!" She pounced on her man with the energy to put a lover in a Wutainese War film to shame. They pushed their mouths together while she wrapped her legs around his waist, and her arms over his shoulders. "How long were you standing there?"

The voice she had been waiting for months spoke in a joking falsetto, _"'Runnin' off into battle, leavin' me thinkin' I was about to have your little—"_

She kissed him again, cutting him off so she wouldn't have to hear a repeat of her accusation toward Reno-being-Zack. "Don't worry. I wasn't upset. I was just helping Reno out." Zack's spine was still stiff, so she insisted, "And I didn't get pregnant. You're careful enough." It was an ongoing joke between the two of them and Reno tipped his head feeling a bit like the third wheel.

Zack laughed, whispered something into her ear about maybe one day, he should be more dangerous and Reno officially felt awkward standing there and excused himself to leave. "We'll talk later then. Farewell, lovelies." Reno wiggled his gloved fingers in their direction and left, copying Zack Fair's arrogant strut. The brunette coughed, rolling his eyes.

"So," the girl giggled, slipping her fingers under the cap stifling the brunette's spikes. "Why the hat?" For some reason, she loved to tease him over this. It happened once or twice in their relationship before where Zack ended up cutting his hair to his chin, once because his mentor demanded it, and once because it had actually caught fire. He shooed her hands away from his head, embarrassed. "You know why I have the hat!" Zack accused, trying his best to keep a smile from creeping up on his lips.

"Angeal started it." The man explained, a groan escaping him as he trotted down the street. "I told him if I could get through the mission without having him have to use a phoenix down on me once, he would have to let me keep my hair the way I want to keep it." Angeal preferred that Zack kept his hair at his chin anyway because enemies often grabbed Zack's spikes and would beat him against rocks with that advantage. "If he had to use a phoenix down, I'd cut my hair the way he wanted me to have it."

"He had to use a phoenix down, huh?" Aerith giggled, running her fingers down his neck. Surprised by his reaction, she smiled. He may have tried to keep a straight face, but the goose bumps that raised along his skin pretty much gave the man away.

"Yeah, and he cheated me…" the man groaned, supporting her by her bottom and walking her towards one of the larger Sector 8 buildings. "Damn chocobos…" he grunted. "Pecked to frickin death…what a way to die, huh?"

"How'd he cheat you?" She asked, leaning over his shoulder to read the name written in Sharpie on the back of his brown cap. Aerith had never told him she was always fond of his military caps. It made Zack seem unique but uniform all at the same time! She didn't know why, but he did look handsome with it on. Inspecting the short hairs that came to a point at the nape of his neck, she had a good idea of how Zack got 'cheated.'

But still, his embarrassed noise came from his throat. "I'll show you when we get home," he murmured glumly, bouncing her in his arms.

* * *

><p>Zack was oddly eager to get home, in fact. Something told Aerith that it was because maybe secretly, he wanted to show her what he looked like. Zack always did like watching people's reactions whether or not they were pleasant or not. Plus, she knew he <em>had<em> to have been eager because normally he took the elevator…but that day he carried her up the stairwell to quicken things up a bit.

"So, how did your mission go, by the way?" From the comfort of Zack's bed, she watched him kick off one of his boots and grab the other with his hands and pull it off, and drop it to the floor. Then he looked down at his clothes, considering. If he could have taken off his shirt without taking off the cap, he probably would have done it by now.

"The mission was…good, I guess." He was a bit uneasy, but still grinning down at her like the playful, overly happy man he normally was. "Got hit on by some guys, got harassed by children, kicked some monster butt." Zack shrugged, the cap's brim hiding the laughter in his eyes. "Usual SOLDIER duties. But I don't wanna talk about that now, Bunny…" He'd trapped her—one knee on either side—while he had bent his head to kiss her neck. It would have been easy to snatch the cap away but she knew he was only doing this to be a tease. No, no, the flirting game wouldn't be played like this today!

"We aren't doing a _thing_ until you take that cap off yourself!" Aerith warned, putting both hands on his shoulders so he couldn't go any further without hurting her. "And you'll have to eventually," she sighed, stretching out on the bed. Aerith could be a tease too. "I'll even follow you into the shower if I have to."

"Is that a promise?" The man laughed, lifting the brim enough to show off the new mako glow to his eyes, the flecks of sky blue and lime green actually reflecting onto her own features.

"Zack, I wanna see you!" The girl whined, tossing her body against the bed so her braid fell off to one side. "_All_ of you?" It was an innocent request but it made the male mind do back-flips with the possibilities. But…if he wanted to get some, he was gonna have to take off the hat. Because now it was fun. But later, he'd be sleeping on the couch for Gaia knows how long…

Over a stupid hat.

Zack's face turned the same shade of rosy pink as the dress his girlfriend wore. "Dammit!" And he took the cap by the bill and successfully threw it into something that made a loud _sprong!_ somewhere across the room. Aerith guessed that it probably hit Zack's guitar right across the strings. But she wasn't paying much attention to where the cap had disappeared to…

Zack sat there in the middle of the bed, his shoulders hunched close to his head as if he were bracing himself for a hit. When Aerith touched him, the man actually squeaked. Freakin' _squeaked_! "Zacky, dear," she said softly, tugging at his arm. "Look at me."

He didn't quite look at her, but un-hunched his shoulders. Now Aerith could tell why Zack felt so cheated by the bet. Angeal had always allowed Zack to keep his hair at the chin. Now it was just a bit longer than his natural hairline. To long to be a buzz cut but short enough to be mistaken for one at a distance. Angeal knew Zack would only agree to do this willingly only once in a lifetime. The man probably wanted to make it last so he wouldn't have to worry about chasing Zack down to get a haircut for quite awhile. Aerith understood but wanted to also be on her Zacky's side too…

"I've never actually seen the back of your neck before," she giggled. It got him to look up.

"Seriously?" Snorting, he shook his head to either side. "…Figures."

"What?" While he crawled toward her on the bed, she moved backwards to keep a good look at him. Zack crossed his legs and pouted as if he were a boy in time out and said simply: "You _like_ it, don't you?" Obviously, he _didn't—_and didn't want her to either because that meant by default, he had to keep his appearance _just like that_.

"Well, maybe I _do _like it _a bit_…" She admitted, tilting her head this way and that, putting her finger to her cheek and beaming. "Maybe if you grow it out _just a teensy bit_, it'll look great, actually." Zack rolled his eyes and let his body tip back on the bed in his teenage, depressed manner. "But," the girl continued, "I'm wondering how you got it to tame…I mean, it's not sticking up but it's not flat to your head either."

Lips jutting out, he sighed and laced his arms behind his head. "Like I know. It's natural."

She accepted that answer because where his bangs had once flipped out from his head, there was a place where instead of going back, the short hairs protruded forward.

Hanging over him, she whispered with a smirk, "You actually look like you belong in a boy band, Zacky…"

"Ya aren't making me feel any better!" The man joked loudly, tipping himself up once and pushing her back on the bed. "So!" His sky-colored eyes lit up, obviously forgetting what had happened earlier. "I saw Reno helped you with your sales while I was out. Turks are good with that stuff, eh?"

"Turk?" She blinked, looking up at his questioning face. "Reno's a Turk?"

Zack answered her with a blatant "_Duh_…" and then the young 1st Class proceeded with removing his shirt, leaving it at that. "You know, I missed you. I _really_ don't wanna talk about these things…can we just…" He began to unbutton her dress before she stopped him with a slap on his hands.

"Not now."

Rolling his eyes once more, he left the dress with its current buttons undone and chomped down on the inside of his cheek. "Fine, _fine_, kissin's fine…" and with that, the raven-haired puppy kissed her on the cheek, stretched, and got up. "You want romance, I know, _I know_…" Zack had a bad habit of repeating works when he was disappointed.

"Thanks for pullin' me out of that, by the way," he said, with a pleasant sigh. "I hate feeling shy…"

"I can't believe you just admitted that _you_ get shy from time to time!" Pointing an accusatory finger in his direction, Aerith propped herself up on her elbows. Zack moved into his kitchen and the banging of pans could be heard.

"Well, that was then, and this is now!" Zack opened the fridge, and then closed it with a bit more effort with his hip upon finding what he needed. "No more shy guy! I'm going to put everything out there—bam!" A cracked egg sizzled…and then the distinct smell of burning food filled the room. "First thing I admit: I suck at cooking." He turned around with a baby-like innocence. "Help me?"

"Shiva, Zack. That was on the pan for _ten seconds_!" She said with an amazed tone, getting up from his bed. "You've just managed a new record for burning something in your own home."

"Hooray." Delightful Sarcasm was another one of Zack's undeniable traits. Leaning against the kitchen counter, he gave off that undeniable boyfriend attitude where they sit and watch you do stuff for them because they-know-that-you-know-that-they-love-you. But Zack really _did_ love her—he wasn't _just_ taking advantage! He'd _ached_ on his mission for her—and wanted nothing more than to have her to himself when he got back. But he had entirely forgotten the _'wooing'_ process where he magically makes up for being gone for a month with making an omelet with her and watching chick flicks until the sun came up.

And he didn't make that up in his mind on the spot either, it was tradition! Zack always messed up an omelet, she would fix it, and they'd talk about how terrible a cook he was over the Princess Bride. Happened nearly every three months. And it kept them in that _almost-marriage-but-not-quite _relationship for over two whole years. It was perfect like this.

"You know, you're an amazing actress."

Aerith had stopped adding the tomatoes and peppers to the omelet and looked at her boyfriend carefully. She'd never seen his whole face before—and it made her feel awkward being with someone so darn…_cute_. With his hair short, Zack looked about sixteen—his _actual age. _He wasn't entirely _her_ boyfriend at the moment because Zack always kept a part of his face covered…and now, it took…a lot of getting used to. As if she was making eggs and flirting with someone that didn't belong to her! Zack always looked twenty next to Aerith, while she looked twelve next to him—they looked like a real couple now! That was good. Right?

…Right?

Aerith wasn't fond of change; in fact, she separated herself from it as much as possible. But she liked Zack's change to an extent…but he really wasn't _her Zack_…and with him complimenting her, it was like meeting him all over again. And Aerith had let herself become _shy_.

"You're just saying that because you have to…" She sighed, not making eye-contact with his pretty blue-green irises.

"Why the hell would I say that?" The brunette scoffed, "I mean you had me believe I'd gotten you pregnant. Then I realized that I never really…y'know…did the _Thing_ with you yet…" Even though she was in love with the man infamous for knocking girls up, Aerith Gainsborough was still a virgin. The woman couldn't help but let out a dry giggle.

The man chuckled again, taking the pan, "Lemmie flip it!" It was the one cooking thing Zack knew how to do right. The egg spun over itself in the air and doubled over in the pan, much to his amusement. Putting the pan back on the stove, he took a leftover red pepper from the bowl Aerith had mixed for the 'guts' of the omelet and put it in his mouth. "Plus you made me think Reno was _me_—that takes _skill_ to fool the actual person. Plus, he and I are so, y'know, different! So that _really takes skill!"_ He spit out the pepper, letting his tongue poke out of his mouth. "Hot!"

"How are you and Reno so different?" She'd asked, putting her hands on her hips while she added pepper to the egg.

"Because Reno is an ass."

"And you aren't?"

Zack had nothing to say, but boyishly flashed his best flirtatious grin and turned to get the plates from a high cabinet. His favorite was always the red one with an ugly chip off one side and she had always liked the white one that actually had something pretty on it at one time…but now it was just a boring white plate. Soon, the two of them were sitting in front of _Ramen Girl_, talking like they always had since Zack first made up the idea.

"But I'm serious! You're brilliant, Bunny." Affectionately, he hummed the nickname. "You should become an actress. You could travel all the time, help people, and be famous. I think you'd fit there…perfectly." It had been just a playful suggestion but he had spoken it at the wrong time. A scene in _Ramen Girl_ flashed across the screen where a boy in Harajuku punk clothes smiled, hand out to the main character and invites her into the part of Japan where she isn't familiar—and people are happy, diverse, ecstatic. And it had all started in a shrine—a safe haven for people looking for guidance from the spirits. Zack knew how Aerith felt about symbolism from the Planet—little signs to show her where she was supposed to go…

And he wished he had swallowed the comment immediately and never said it in the first place—that dazed yet confident look blazed in her eyes as the scene shifted into the next. The acting seed had been planted and it was pointless to dig it up now!

The brunette frowned into his eggs—an expression he was sure Aerith didn't see. His appetite was gone. A sick feeling had filled his stomach—the young SOLDIER was certain that this would be the last egg-and-movie date they would have for a long time.

Aerith now had a dream.

* * *

><p><em><strong>A.N.:<strong> **I hope more than anything this story goes over well with at least a few people!** I'll be updating as much as I can so just be patient as I do plan on finishing this fic later._

_Darn, there's a lot of symbolism in this story—it's actually meant to have a big moral about dreams and love and happiness and I got carried away by all the secret metaphors and stuff. I pay too much attention in English Lit…_

_To anyone offended by Zack's hair, I'm sorry but it had to be done. It's a symbol in itself by starting with a fresh start, plus I think it serves as a good clock to show how time passes. Don't worry! Zack's hair grows too fast in this story. He should be back to Early Crisis Core Style in the next few chapters. He'll just have to resemble Taylor Lautner for a bit—it's his fault for makin' dumb bets. By the way, Zack's nickname for Aerith is Bunny-the reason why will be explained in a later chapter._

_If you haven't seen The Ramen Girl, you should definitely watch it. Don't just watch only the movie though! Watch the deleted scenes too—they're actually more meaningful, I think…The Harajuku scene was a deleted scene and it's my favorite._

_I don't own the charries or movies mentioned, of course. I'm not repeating it again. I don't need to. (Yay!)_

_Sephiroth and Genesis are going to show up soon as important characters and we might get to see Reno being a bit Turk-ie. _

_Loveless Avenue is the equivalent to Broadway in Midgar. This is actually suggested in FF7. And here's hoping that this story makes it as a Loveless Avenue masterpiece! **Thank you for reading!**_


	2. Chapter 2: LOVELESS

Aerith woke up wondering how she got in Zack's bed and why he looked like that before she realized that there was a _yesterday_.

And boy, was it some _yesterday!_ All of a sudden, Zack hit the bottle for no apparent reason. And Zack was an obliviously honest drunk. She couldn't help but ask questions.

So many fun answers—it was the most romantic she had ever managed to get him! He liked her hair down, he got tummy aches when he was away from her for long time, if they ever had children, he always wanted a daughter named Julia—but if they got stuck with a boy, he'd like the name Jake. Zack was just fond of the letter 'J'. His middle name was James—but he had always told everyone that it was Xavier and this wasn't true. Secretly he enjoyed being called 'Puppy' because it meant people thought he was friendly and happy. He admitted everything sincerely and openly. So much honesty in such a small window of time—no wonder Zack stopped drinking when he started to get all cuddly! It was the first sign of his blatant truthfulness.

But that was the thing; he didn't stop drinking that night. And she didn't stop him because it was cute. But that was her mistake.

"And you know what?" He said, his voice getting soft and airy as they moved into the credits of the third movie for the night—a pirated DVD copy of _Wicked. "_I actually think I'm in love with you. I'd follow you…_anywhere_." His blue eyes traced her face as he smiled drunkenly. "But there's one thing that I wanna do. 'Cause we haven't and now I think that maybe…it'll be special now?" The statement sounded like an uneasy question to them both. Zack had actually prepared himself for this and he had done it so…sweetly. There wasn't an ounce of sexual tension whatsoever…

Finally after a moment of whiskey-scented silence, she finally whispered, "Okay…"

Now she was snuggled into his warm body, their legs tangled together, and his arm thrown over her and in that single pleasant moment of bliss. However, Zack was on the other side of her, feeling rather sick to his stomach. That was something she didn't know—and would _never_ know.

Eyes wide open; he let an inward groan start. Why had he done this? He knew Aer had been saving herself for marriage like the good Planet-religious girl she was…but then again…she said she would—

_No! Bad. Bad Zack._

_He scolded himself._

…Where had the dog scolding came from? Had he really hung out with Angeal that much to intake the Puppy thing to himself? He felt he probably deserved to think of himself in such a demeaning way…wasn't he supposed to be the good boyfriend and not force her into sleeping with him and stuff? Did he do that jerk move that guys in Midgar do to keep their girlfriends from leaving them?

…He had….

"I'm never drinking that heavy again," the raven-haired teenager admitted aloud, making her turn around with a grin.

"How long have you been awake?" she giggled, rubbing her nose into him.

"Not long. Since ten, I guess."

Watching him have that fake look on his face bothered her. "Zack!" His cheery response moved much too slow for Aerith's tastes so she grabbed at his face with her thumb and index finger and pulled it hard. "Smile, you jerk!" Instantly, his personality was revived.

"What was that for?" With a laugh, he had shaken her off to sit up and massage his face with his fingers. "Shiva—"he snapped. "That freakin' hurt…" She watched him, arms crossed over her chest, as his shoulders moved to work the pain out. Zack's posture was bad in the morning, unlike his SOLDIER stance where he stood perfectly militant—the bumps of his spine rose up under the tanned skin as he slouched. Zack really _was_ quite a pretty boy.

"So, are you going to cook breakfast or what?" She teased, poking one of the bumps because she simply could without getting caught. At least if he turned around, he wouldn't be able to tell if she'd been staring.

With a lopsided smile, the man turned back, any sign of unhappiness long gone. "Um…" A nervous chuckle escaped his chest. "Is that what guys are supposed to do after this kinda stuff?"

"How 'bout we go out for breakfast?"

It was the perfect suggestion! In a moment, he'd untangled his legs from hers and had his feet planted on the floor. Aerith could always count on Zack to give up a dramatic romance for food. Always. Plus, it seemed as if he needed a distraction. Apparently, Zack didn't have as much fun last night as he thought he would. Maybe he wasn't as ready as he thought! She giggled at the idea which made the teenager in front of her turn around with a questioning look but he shrugged it off.

"I'm gonna go take a shower first, 'kay?" He got up with yesterday's drunken swagger still marring his perfect stride. "Y'know, you can come with me…if you like."

"I wait 'til next time."

Zack's eyes widened with a happy surprise as his voice nearly cracked, "There'll be a next time?"

She rolled her eyes, gesturing at the bathroom door. "Go. Clean up. Save hot water." He got the idea and backed up that way _slowly._

"Grab me a shirt, top drawer…y'know which one." He was referring to his over-crowded dresser that only got cleaned by the flower-girl. She nodded, watching him bend over to grab his pants off the floor and parade himself into the bathroom without closing the door completely.

Zack wasn't good at dressing himself. He never grasped the idea of clashing colors or too many patterns. During her last stay, she had hidden any clothing items that Zack would mess up and wear with something. Well…those clothes weren't really _hidden_. They were located in the bottom drawer the Zack never opened, in fact. But to Zack's knowledge, he only owned jeans and shirts in primary colors.

She picked a black button-up shirt with blue designs on the left side. It was sort of dressy compared to what Zack normally wore so she figured it was good date attire.

Then she moved to his second drawer and grabbed one of the dresses she kept underneath his socks. It wasn't Zack's favorite dress and really it didn't belong in his house…but she liked wearing it because it made her feel pretty. The whole outfit was white but it had silver trim with beaded tassels and sleeves that puffed up around her forearms. She'd made it herself.

The water pounded against the shower floor suddenly and Aerith grabbed the dress and pulled it over her camisole.

"Can you get that?" Zack shouted from the bathroom. It was before she had even noticed Zack's cell phone was vibrating its way across the floor that he had asked for her to get it. SOLDIER senses were truly something to behold.

So she answered it. And a familiar voice echoed through the receiver. "Zack, get Aerith! Now!"

"This is Aerith, stupid. Don't you listen to voices before you speak?

Suddenly the voice burst into a strong, free-hearted laughter. "Oh, oh! You did something _nasty_ last night, didn't you?" The voice took a breath to make his sniggering stop. "Anyway: CALL THAT GEEZER!"

"Huh?"

"The geezer that gave us his card yesterday. I checked his file! He's totally legit! He's the guy that actually owns the Loveless Theatre! Genesis Rhapsodos signs his paycheck!" Reno's voice seemed incredibly overjoyed and coffee-fueled.

"First, how did you check his file?"

"Um, I…with my job, I…um…"

"Zack told me you're a Turk, thanks." Reno made an 'oooh' sound on the other end while she groaned as Aerith asked, "And who is Genesis Rhapsodos?"

"Who's _Genesis_?" Zack chuckled from behind. "You're kiddin', right?" Taking a towel to his hair he rubbed at it until it stuck out at funny angles. "Who're you talking to, Aer?"

Shushing him, she continued to talk while he complained. "He's the only SOLDIER to support the arts fully. Without him, Loveless Avenue would be but only a tourist trap," Reno said with a sort of pride. "However, Vice-president Shinra makes certain that the theatre itself is kept wonderfully in-tact."

"Yes and…?" The girl prompted.

"You know, that's my phone, not yours," Zack whined.

"Well," Reno laughed, completely ignoring the other male voice on the line. "You need to call that guy. You see, there's an opening for Belinda's part, her last show is tomorrow night—you need to call him now. Audition with me, _please_! Colm's part is open too!"

"Okay, when do we do this?"

"I'll call! Then I'll make the appointment." He cleared his throat. "How's four sound?"

"Four's good!"

"Great! Hang up and tongue Zack for me. Later lovely." And there was a silence across the line before Zack held out his hand expectantly.

"Phone. Please," he sighed. She handed him the little gray talking-box. "Hey," he said with a smile. "You'll be sure to get Belinda."

"You heard?"

"You act like you're surprised!" Stretching, he flashed his biggest grin. "I heard my phone vibrating while I was in the shower, after all!"

This was true. Zack scanned the room for his shirt found where it was, picked up Aerith to get it out from under her, and shrugged it on. SOLDIER were very interesting creatures. They developed very quickly—even overnight. The biggest example was that Zack's hair had gotten back into a spikable length by the time he had gotten back out of the shower.

"Are you like a plant?" she laughed, rubbing the black spikes until they sat flat again. It was still a short, tamable length—not yet long enough to cover his neck. It still made him look un-Zack-like. Sort of shaggy though…still cute. More like the guy she knew.

"Excuse me?" Zack's eyebrow shot up, and he laughed again squirming next to her on the bed.

"Ha…it's nothing, love." When the other eyebrow shot up, she squirmed away from him with a giggle. "I'm going to…go get ready now."

"Oh, have fun."

And as quickly as he had shown up and gotten lovable, she scurried like a mouse into the bathroom, closing the door and locking it behind her. It was almost hilarious to see how much effort Zack put into his appearance with that laid-back attitude of his. And he made no effort to hide it. Three different tubes of gunked-up hair-gel lay open on the bathroom sink with his shaving stuff. Closing the tops on all of them, she carefully stacked them next to each other and wiped down the area that Zacky seemed to mess up a lot while she was gone.

"He'd die if he was without me," she thought to herself, trying not to think of what things were like for him when he was off on missions. She showered quickly, and combed her hair out while it was still wet to become ringlets. Then she pulled her dress over her hair then re-adjusted the sleeves before Zack managed to pick the lock.

Yes. He _picked_ the _lock_.

"Need help?" Blinking like a baby that got his hand stuck in the cookie jar, Zack smiled up at her from his spot on the floor. Instead of reprimanding him, she knelt down too, the line between the bathroom floor and the apartment's floorboards separating them from each other.

"Sure," she turned around for him. "Besides, I know it's pointless…you've stolen my only hair ribbon anyway, didn't you?"

"Damn right!" And he produced the pink fabric from his pocket and tied it into the curls.

"You always do that."

"Stealing your stuff?"

"No, you're just…always there when I least expect it."

He laughed, pulling her up by the hands and tugged on her bow. "Ready to go, _Bunny_?" Despite the fact that they did a very adult action only that morning, they both acted like a pair of tweens ready to go out on the second date. However, they were more comfortable with each other than they ever had been before. She leaned into him a bit more, he took a bit more possessiveness over their decisions and where his arms and hands went.

Zack might not act like he had money, but he did. He received quite a hefty sum of money for going out on missions as the Shin-ra army required. The higher his class, the more money he gained. Usually, he didn't spend a single gil because things were often given to him, and he mooched off General Sephiroth terribly. Under no circumstances did Zack's money influence his choice in food establishments.

The restaurant they picked—well, the restaurant _Zack_ picked—was pretty nice. Just a family-owed burger joint that had a decent way of cooking things without all the grease and when you put your hand on the table, it wasn't covered with something unidentifiable and sticky like the normal McMoogle's. So it was the ideal date for them both. Even though she was a vegetarian…this wasn't over the top. Absolutely perfect. No candles, no overly priced fish and plain vegetables, and no stuffy business people thinking they were hot shit. Absolutely _perfect._

"Hey," Zack asked over a bowl of fries. "What if you get this role and it makes you so famous _Genesis Rhapsodos_ wants you as his girl?" Knowing the answer, he propped his head up in his hands and watched her reaction from across the table. The emerald green eyes widened and she put a fry in her mouth so she wouldn't have to say anything for a few seconds. Then very slowly, a truly sarcastic answer seeped from her lips. "Oh, I'm sorry," fighting the smile that pricked at her mouth she let it show brightly at the last word. "I'm just going to have to dump you."

"That's cold!" Pouting, he threw his nose up into the air, his blue eyes darting down so he could look at her giggles. "And to think I bought you this lovely meal!"

"Thank you, Zacky…!" Her voice grew sing-song as he looked back down again to eat. Mouth full, he grumbled.

"Now you tell me…" Banging his fist on the table, the youth found himself laughing again. "And don't call me _Zacky_! I don't like it!"

"Yes you do. You told me you did."

"Well, I lied," he said stubbornly.

"You can't lie, Zack!" She charged, pointing a fry at him, "This is why the army doesn't send you into situations without a Turk." He rolled his eyes, but did not disagree. Hey, Aerith knew when she was right and she would always let the truth shine through.

Zack's phone buzzed in his pocket and he nearly pushed the _F-you_ button until he looked at the caller's name. He slid the little gray box across the table. "For you. Give Reno your number next time, 'kay?"

She struggled trying to answer it without dragging it through Zack's ketchup but eventually she found a way and said quietly so nobody in the restaurant could hear, "Hello?"

"Get your little girly bum down to Sector 8 now! This guy leaves at 1:30 and an audition takes seven minutes!"

"Okay, Reno, calm down, Zack and I are right down the street eating breakfast…er…lunch."

"I'm calm!" The impatient voice shouted into the receiver.

"If you say so," she sighed. "Meet us under the _My Bloody Valentine_ poster. Okay?"

"Okay!"

Silence. "Reno?" she asked, then repeated. "Reno?" Zack began his own little fit of giggles into the food before he took the phone away from her ear. "He hung up," she told him without needing to.

"You're amazing," with that final statement, Zack stood up and tossed the tip on the table. "Let's get going then."

"You shouldn't listen into my conversations…"

"I know, but I can't help it." Shoving his hands deep in his pockets, Zack nudged her with his elbow and she nudged him back. Eventually, this became a child's game of push-and-shove until they were out in traffic again and the raven-haired man took her by the hand and led her across the street.

* * *

><p>"You're <em>late<em>." Reno met them outside the theatre in half of a Turk suit. Honestly, Aerith assumed that it was because he didn't own anything better or maybe it was because it was dressy but then he said, "I just came here from work, yo." And the thought was dropped.

They went inside the a strangely-lit theatre with huge groups of red-velvet seating, a balcony, and a beautiful image of a Banora tree looming into the ceiling above. Already, some girl on stage was reading her words from the page with an stance that said that she was meant for the theatre. She looked up from her script and scrunched up a little pug nose before she continued reading. Zack coughed something about plastic and this earned him a hiss from the directors.

Needless to say, Zack backed away and slinked off to a back row where nobody could see him.

"Thank you, Elena." The director sighed. "We'll be in touch." Breath caught in the woman's throat and she nodded before dashing from her high position and out a side door. Soon she appeared slipping between seats and crept to the door as Reno paid her a greeting. He was met with a long, embarrassed string of swear words before a metal door slammed and the whole event was over.

"Ah…Mr. Sinclaire and Miss…ah…Gainsborough. To the front, please."

Looking back to find Zack's support in the universal sign-language of '_Just go, stupid!_' He pushed his hands away from him and looked severely toward the stage. She took Reno's hand and let him lead his way through. Apparently, he hadn't done this either because unlike Elena, he couldn't find his way onto the stage. So they stood on the red-carpeted floor and looked up at the dry director much like two lambs to the slaughter.

There were two scripts on the seat in front of them wrapped in yellow covers. Reno picked up one and Aerith the other…then they looked to the director who had set up a table in the seats for further direction. "Yes, thank you." He said loudly, his voice having no emotion except a domineering vibe as great as Sephiroth's. "As you know, by auditioning with each other that does not mean if one gains a part in the play, the other will as well. If one fails, that does not mean you fail together. You two are being judged separately. Understand?" When they both told him that they did, the man began to speak again.

"I want you to read from page 42, Aerith will read Belinda's part, Reno will read Colm's part. Are you familiar with the play or do you need an explanation of plot?" They said they were familiar but would like to know the director's ideas. The man didn't smile, but gladly gave his opinions out.

"The ending was written by Genesis Rhapsodos." There was that name again. "This is not the lost ending, as you know. Belinda has just been rendered Loveless by her lover, Colm, as he has just sacrificed himself for his friend's sake in the last scene. She knows that she is not alone when she receives the news, for her lover died and saved the world, and she would have him as long as she lives on. And so the Colm's sacrifice saved the world and Belinda. Now she is confronted by Colm's visiting spirit." He looked to see if they were paying attention, and nodded, "You're reading what happens next. Now, let me see your rendition of my idea."

Aerith looked down at the page and found her heart beating wildly in her chest while she looked at the words she wished to speak. "I'll start now," she whispered by the equally nervous redhead, tapping his fingers anxiously on the script.

Suddenly, she knew she wasn't Aerith anymore.

"Colm, do you really have to leave?" Belinda said lowly, her voice cracking through the tears.

Colm tilted his head, with a soft sigh and his lips turned up into a fatherly smile. He couldn't touch her. He shouldn't. But when he graced his fingers onto her hair, she shuddered to the touch. "I…promised them I'd come back." He admitted. If he didn't make the promise, surely he would return to her. But he promised. He would not leave the afterlife. "The people I love—they're waiting for me."

"I don't understand!" She cried, clutching into his jacket, dipping her head into his shoulder. "Not at all!" But then, Belinda backed away with a sorry pleasantness, as if putting on a smile to make a person happy. But she sniffed, wiping her hands across her tear-streaked face. There was nothing she could do to help him. Nothing she could do to _make him stay._ "But…please," She sighed, "take care of yourself."

Colm smirked, leaning forward on his toes. "Of course, I'll come back to you." He assured, turning away from Belinda but keeping his face toward the audience as he walked downstage. "Even if you don't promise to wait for me." Tilting his head back, he smiled. "I'll return knowing that you'll be right here."

And Belinda dropped to her knees, clutching her stomach from the separation. "I'll be here."

And the scene ended with that final statement. The two shook their way out of their daze with small, jumpy smiles. "Aerith…" the director said blankly, unfazed by the performance. "Can you sing?"

"I think…I can."

"Let's find out." Without missing a beat, he continued. "Do you know how to the song _Blown_ _a Wish_?" He asked, arms crossed. "It's in the back of the script. It's sung before Colm leaves." The blank director cleared his throat. "Are you familiar with it?"

Aerith had heard Zack pluck it out on his guitar before as it was a somewhat popular tune in Midgar. So she nodded and said that she knew it, but not the lyrics.

"Sing, then."

The first sound from her lips was a squeak…then another as Reno kicked her calf. Zack was in the seats, a blur against the shadows as he rolled his hands for her to begin to sing.

Zack had never heard her sing. In fact, neither one of them had ever heard _each other _sing before! He knew his voice wasn't all that bad…but it wasn't as if he could grab a mic and notget laughed at through karaoke. Aerith…might be able to sing…maybe. Her voice was milky—a trait in Midgar that was uncommon because of all the heavy smokers.

Aerith's blanching face darted into the pages of the script and she looked over it to croon the melody sweetly. Putting just as much sad passion into the tune as much as she had into Belinda's role, Zack got that sinking feeling he had earlier that morning. She was _very_ good.

"_Midnight wish, blow me a kiss_

_And I'll blow one to you._

_Make like this, and I'll pretend it's true." _She looked up and smiled lightly at the director, then the man in the back shadows through the sea of red-velvet before continuing.

"_Show me all your favorite things, show you all mine too._

_Make a wish, I'll give it all to you."_

"_Hold on to your promises, hold on to mine too._

_Caught like this, I'll turn it in with you."_

The Aerith stopped and scrunched up her nose at the next set of lyrics and let a tiny puff of air escape her saddening mouth. Then, the director stood and stopped her. "That's enough, if you will leave so we can prepare for the next appointment. We'll be in touch. Mr. Sinclaire, if you will stay for a moment, I would like to hear your—"

Zack was by her side in a moment and took her out of the theatre and into the street immediately. "That was good. How'd it feel?"

Dejectedly, she lifted her head and croaked. "I didn't do my best! He didn't like me." She looked like a kitten stuck in a cat carrier—eager to get out but only offered a toy to make her feel better. In this case, Zack felt like the toy. So he decided to be the best toy he could be and did everything a good plaything did. He tried to be flashy by pulling off tricks in the street, he tried to be comforting by keeping his hands to himself for other than hugging, he attempted to be distracting by telling pointless jokes until finally he ran out of things he could imagine and finally asked. "You want me to get drunk again?" The he revised the statement: "Do you want to get drunk together?"

It made her laugh, but in that previously-occupied way. "Hey, Zack…would it be okay if we just walked around town a bit more?" Tucking her hand into his, she grinned up at him and blinked. "Just talking? Being together?"

Honestly, he'd been hoping for that. "Will that make you smile?"

"Will it keep you trying to _make_ me smile?"

Shrugging, he shoved his free-hand into his pocket and proceeded into sector 7. "We'll have to find out, I guess," he chuckled, bumping into her to begin that game of 'push-and-shove' again. "We can walk all the way into sector 5 to get coffee if you want."

She agreed and they started that one walk throughout the entire city of Midgar for a cup of lukewarm coffee.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Chapter 2 is up! Chapter 3 is on its way!<strong>_

_First of all, thank you for reading! I appreciate every last one of your reviews and subscriptions. Thank you aichioluv __for the extreme review—it made me have the will to continue writing this! _

_Also, looks like Genesis and Reno will have bigger roles in this than I imagined. Well, hurrah for our redheads—they're _classy!

_My Bloody Valentine is actually a real band and actually made an album named LOVELESS. Check it out because it's VERY FF7-like. In fact, My Bloody Valentine is on the poster for Loveless in all Final Fantasy VII's—the singer Belinda Butcher was on the original poster from FF7 to CC, but during Advent Children it was changed to look like Aerith instead. (I'm using that, obviously). But seriously, give 'em a listen. I mean it. The lyrics will freak you out._

_This isn't over! Ch 3 is coming!_

_On a final note: Ahaha McMoogles._

_**Thank you for reading!**_


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